“Beatitude Mass” by Henry Mollicone on FM Radio KKUP

The Beatitude Mass recording by the San Jose Symphonic Choir will be broadcast on KKUP, Cupertino, 91.5 FM, Sat, 27 June, 8AM – 9AM.

“Hi, Ric,

I finally got a chance to listen to the CD in its entirety.  It’s gorgeous!  Will be reading the text material you lent me, soon.  Just wanted to let you know I very much enjoyed the CD.  I will feature the entire Mass on my program of June 27.

The program runs from 6 am to 9 am; I’ll start the mass with an introduction around 8:00 am.  I believe it runs just under 40 minutes.

Sincere thanks.

(Keep in mind, I’m “Rey Gonzalez” on the program)

KKUP 91.5fm; the website is http://KKUP.org

Beatitude Mass Artwork

“A Sea Symphony” by R. Vaughn Williams

In celebrating the 100th year since the premier of the magnificent and grandiose “A Sea Symphony” by R. Vaughn Williams in 1910, the San Jose Symponic Choir joins forces with the Nova Vista Symphony to perform this incredible work. Save the date: November 28, 2009; you will not want to miss this!

Vaughn Williams selected poetry by Walt Whitman and set it to a magnificent music setting. The Washington Post said, “This was without doubt one of the great musical events of the season, from the opening shout of “Behold! The sea itself . . .” through the whispered exhortation “O farther, farther, farther sail,” that brings this endearing leviathan to rest some 80 minutes later. This is a spacious, multidimensional and altogether glorious work originally performed in 1910.”

A reviewer, Rafael Collin says, “I fell asleep at a performance of Vaughan Williams’ “A Sea Symphony” some years ago. It is a LONG piece. I would not recommend it as a first Vaughan Williams purchase, unless you are a particular fan of choral music.
On the other hand, I couldn’t ignore it.

“Robert Shaw (America’s “Mr. Choral Music“) described this symphony on the radio as “the most beautiful piece of choral music written in the 20th century“. Wow! That covers 100 years, you know. And I deeply enjoy other pieces by RVW, including his Four Hymns and Five Mystical Songs.
“The symphony is a setting of poems by Walt Whitman that celebrate human daring, and RVW matched that by writing an immense symphony. If you have not heard this symphony before, you could not imagine the sonic images Vaughan Williams creates for ships, sailors, and the sea. The first notes at the music’s very beginning have the full chorus and orchestra at top voice singing ‘Behold, the Sea itself!‘ It is startlingly majestic, and yet it is followed by an almost vulgarly pop and spiky little tune for male voice (baritone) and bassoon that I now sing everyday while shaving ‘today, a rude brief recitative about ships sailing the sea …’ The diversity is wonderful -” [Review by Rafael Collin "Rafe"]

To get a preview, visit eMusic to download the 4 sound tracks or the entire album as recorded by the London Sympony Orchestra and Chorus. Another source, Classics Online, also has the tracks or album available as well.

London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus recording

San Francisco Classical Voice

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Washington, DC — Choir Tour Update

Dear San Jose Symphonic Choir:

Wonderful concerts this month! Congratulations for making it to the end of a very full schedule of singing.

Our next project is preparing for the Washington D.C. tour.  Correspondence from the National Cathedral instructs us that there is no piano nor keyboard available and that there is a time limit, so refer to the revised list below for the National Cathedral concert.

Most of you have all of the music, but if you need copies of anything, copies will be available on June 2 at the Monterey venue, but please let me know what you need (via email) so Eleanor can retrieve the music from the symphony library before the rehearsal Tuesday. These are borrowed copies and will need to be returned.

Beatitude Mass Artwork

Our next rehearsal for the tour choir is Tuesday evening, June 2, in Monterey at the Unitarian Church just off Highway 1 on Aguajito Road.  I am proposing the following schedule. Locations are subject to change because of the rental agreements that we make for the year are no longer in force, so we need to arrange for space each week.  But Tuesday is definitely at the Unitarian Church.

Monday  June 1   final concert of Vaughan Williams, Faure and Host at Sunset Center, Carmel.
Call time is 7:30 PM  (Great job on Saturday and Sunday!)

Tuesday June 2 in Monterey at 7:30 PM at Unitarian Church
Monday  June 8 in San Jose at 7:00 PM
Tuesday June 16 in Monterey at 7:30 PM
Monday  June 22 In San Jose at 7:00 PM
One more rehearsal later in the week before we leave, if needed.

1.  Sicut Cervis  (Palestrina)
2.  Keep Your Lamps
3.  Prayer of the Children
4.  Sing me to heaven
5   Wondrous Love
6.  Ride the Chariot

8.  Bogoro ditse Devo

11. Little innocent Lamb

13. Beatitude Mass (July 1 only)
14. Selections from “Les Mis” (also on the July 1 concert) are being sent by the Georgetown Chorale and should be available at June 8 rehearsal.

In preparing for the San Jose Symphonic Choir’s contribution to the “Beatitude Mass” by Henry Mollicone, remember that we commissioned the work and sang the World Premier at Saint Joseph’s Cathedral in San Jose. For opening night, there were people left outside standing in line unable to get in! This performance with the Georgetown Chorale will raise much-needed funds to support the homeless.

This coming March, we will be singing another World Premier of a major work by Henry Mollicone: “Misa de los Inmigrantes”. Henry hopes to have it benefit undocumented workers in a similar way that his “Beatitude Mass” benefits the homeless.

Thanks,

Leroy Kromm